A BREEF DISCOVRâ— wherin is declared of the trauailes anâ— miseries of this painful life that death is tâ—â— dissoluer of mans miserie Gathered out of dâ—uers good writers by Leonard Staueley Whâ— vnto is annexed the Authors muse of this life in English Vearse and his prayse likewise of Vertue Felicitie and true Gentillitie Cicero 1. Tuscul Moriendum est omnibus estque finis Miseriae in morte Death draweth on We must be gon From Bed to Béer In time repent Thy life ill spent Whiles thou art héer For after death Hath stopt our Breth We shall be sure In Heauen to dwel Or els in Hell Where paines indure Imprinted at London at the long shop adioyning vnto Saint Mildreds Church in the Pultrie by Iohn Allde To the Right Worshipfull Ancient and graue Knight Sir Robert VVingfeeld of Letheringham Leonard Staueley wisheth encrease of worship Vertue and Godly sluing with Nestors yeeres Craesus welth and Galliens happy helth FOr as much Right vvorshipfull as I finde in sundry histories of antiquitie of the thaÌ„kfulnes of diuers kindes of beastes vvhich vvant reason and vnderstanding shovved vnto their Benefactors and for that I vvere very lothe to be included in the number of vnthankfull Creatures I haue therfore presumed by this little trifle vpon the curteous inclination of your gentle nature vvhich to all men is apparant to shovve my self to be an other poore Sinatas vvhose good vvil and thankfullnes in hart and minde I trust you vvil vvay asvvel in a drop of svveet running vvater as if it vvere a gift of some precious or more greater value For as I remember Erasmus in his vvittie Appothegmes saith that Donum quodcunque dat aliquis proba Munerum animus est optimus But paraduenture your vvorship vvil meruail vvhy I beiÌ„g one of small or no vnderstanding haue attempted to put my Pen to the paper to vvrite of a more vvaightyer matter theÌ„ my vvittes or learning are able to attaine vnto The trueth is though I neuer vvent further then a little in the Grammer Schole yet by common experience reading of bookes and mine ovvne industry and trauel I haue conceiued some thing For vvhen I consider the sundry mischaunces of fickle Fortune if any such thing there be the miserable estate of mankinde novv puffed vp in Pompe of all Pleasures novv throvvne dovvn into the dungion of all dolors anon commeth a flovving flud by and by a lovve eb vvater so that the vncertaintie of this vaine fleeting life may be vvell compared to a violent flood vvhich is quick in rysing svvift and troublesome to passouer induring but for a vvhile in one condition and certentie VVherfore these as the first frutes of my good vvil vvhat soeuer they be I haue dedicated to your vvoorships Patronage vnder vvhose Sheeld of defence a number of afflicted members haue sure sauegard and gentle refuge amongst vvhome I am one vvho am bound by double dutie vvil be prest if seruice by hand or hart may doo any thing to you and yours for euer But for asmuch as the hugenes of the head defaseth a little slender body and a tedious tale may breed some offence lest in lengthning myne Epistle I should disgrace that small thing vvhich follovveth heer in breef I vvil end remembring that a little Musicque to the heauy hart is often found more delightfull and pleasant then a great deal of vntunable melody Your vvoorships moste humbly to commaund during life Leonard Staueley ¶ Verses Written vpon the name of the Right woorshipfull Sir Robert Wingfeeld Knight Regarding right way wel in minde Of life and death the end of all Beware of freends that are vnkinde And seek to kill by curteous call Recoyle from him which layes a net Thy silly Soule in sinne to get VVith harty looue like wel that frend Yn vvhome great vvisdome dooth remain Neclecting vice so in the end Great gifts of God thou sure shalt gaine Flee swift vvith Wing and vvin the Feeld Extolling Gods vvoord still on bye Liue vvel liue euer to Vertue yeeld Dred God and Prince moste carefully Keepe Conscience pure and paâ—y to God Not liuing like an Epicure If that thou doost his heauy rod Great plagues and vvoes thou shalt endure Heauens blesse the race being gody run The guerdon is vvhen life is doon Stand stedfast L. S. ¶ To the curteous and freendly Reader AS I haue seen by diuers and learned woorks moste gentle Reader that there was neuer yet any matter so handled but some fault hath escaped so for want of skill in mine owne dooings Lacking the benefit of exact knowledge I haue ruÌ„ne a Rouing without any order in my writinges But such as it is I present to thy frendly reading wherin I haue declared some parte of mans intollerable passions frailtie for redres wherof I say that death is the disoluer of his miserable misery If I gain thy good woord I haue my desire but if I reap thy reproch thou shewest but thy noysom nature wherfore hoping the best I wish thee vse this til time afford better as I heer of thy freendly report so wil I write of other matters to thy contentation profit and pleasure et sic Vale. Savwel The Book to the Reader I Rashly pend doo spring from barren braine A simple meÌ„e in prose for to declare vvhat sorovves sovver vvhat greefs piÌ„ching pain This life dooth bring vvherby vve may prepare VVith death to Christe avvay froÌ„ hence to fare VVherfore in gree accept vvhat heer is said Since meer goodvvil vvas cause that he it made I shovve in breef hovv Vertue vvinneth Fame Hovv she alone brings true Felicitie Hovv all that is on earth is nought but vain And hovv vve ought esteem Gentillitie Misconster nothing that thou spiest in me So by that meanes thou vvin'st his hart and all In promptest vvise to pleasure thee at call Blame not his skil for of good vvilâ— From him I came as only mean To purge him clean of thankles name As dooth behooue let him thy looue And good vvoord gain â–ª abandon Spite So maiest thou quite his little pain Looue is a solace Ba. He. to the Reader SWéet is the smel which pleaseth all mens sent Wel can he wryte which féedeth euery vain If this smel swéet to those who hath it sent The Author hath his hire for his pain To showe and prooue wise Solons saying true Til Death that none can be a happy man Good Staueley showes by that which dooth ensue And with his pen it prooues as best he can If paine for others gaine deserue but wel If toyle for common weale be woorthy prayse Commend the Author then who showes his skil To profit thée and others with his phrase His willing minde to write doo not repréeue All spiteful termes for enuious men reserue Let Staueley for his paine obtain thy looue And wish him wel as wel he dooth deserue FINIS T. F. William Brogdon in prayse of the Authors trauaile MVse
strength of body expert in marshall affaires and finally in him no exellent qualitie lacked that was requisit for any noble man I could tell you likewise how Tiberius was dispatched by the hands of Caligula for the gouernment and domination of the Empier of the Romains and how Caligula had his deadly wound of Tiberius Drusus who gouerned a short time the Regiment of that kingdome with infinit such like Thus may you sée héere that Death hath ended their couetous conceits and ambicious desires bridled their wilful wils and restrained their wicked entents Death is feareful yea but the losse of eternall life is more to be feared death depriueth vs of honors worldly renowne riches Fréends Parents and children yea but if we forgoe the Crowne of imortall glory the heauenly Riches the company of our déer fréends Moyses and the Prophets and the societie of our first Parents Adam Eue and their childreÌ„ Seth Enos Kenam Mchalael Iered Henoch and Methuselah who liued in this Pilgrimage nine hundreth thréescore nine yéeres this is a greater losse much more to be feared Death abaÌ„doneth our delicate delights our pleasant Pastimes our worldly solace taketh from vs all our bagges golde of siluer our treasures our famous buildings with all the rest of our ioyes Yea but in stéed of them it restoreth vs to a celestiall place fol of blessednes inspekable felicities which no eye hath séen no eare hath herd no hart can conceiue nor no tung able to vtter In this place is a heaueÌ„ly Ieruzalem where all ioyes incomporable are to be found and sorowes vtterly exiled But peraduenture some one wil say I liue a quiet life I haue the good gifts of Fortune she neuer frowneth on me my neighbours enuey not my estat of worldly felicitie nor my happy procéedings and I haue mountaines of welth and no man hateth me but I haue many Fréends by reason of my golde and therfore by this means I can procure my estate pleasure helth life and libertie to my liking O vain man doost thou not knowe that thy state is so much the more miserable by how much the more thou estéemest of thy self and those transitory things For I assure thée moste wretched is he that neuer hath tasted any misfortune and he is hated of the Gods that neuer féeleth any troubles Demetrius calleth a quiet life without aduersitie Mare mortuum a dead Sea. Pollicrates a tirant of the Samians whose good Fortune was such as he neuer felt any mischaunce in all his life time sauing towards his death who being wery of his continuall ioy and gladnes towing in a vessell for his pleasure into the depth of the Chanell and mening to turne his present good hap to changeable futer ill fortune wilfully cast a precious Ring of golde hauing 〈◊〉 Pearl in it of inestimable value into the waues therof which a hungry fish snapped vp the same in sted of other féeding which béeing presently taken with Fishermen presented into the Kichin of Pollicrates for her singuler rarenes the Cooke â—â—pping the belly vnawares found this Ring took it and deliuered it to his maister Although Pollicrates did now ride on the top of Fortunes whéel yet at the last the whéel turned and he had a great fall for in the warres which were betwéen him and Darius King of the Pertians Orantes the chéef Captain or Lieutenant of Darius tooke him prisoner after moste painful and terrible torments caused him to be honge vpon a gibet vpon the top of a stéep hill or mighty mountaine O blinde vnstable fortune Had it not béen better for Pollicrates now and then to haue tasted some of thy sower sops of sorow and sometimes to haue droonk of the bitter drink of Aduersitie then altogither in his brauest iollitie not only to lose his kingdoÌ„e but also his déer life in moste shamful manner As thou then deltst with him so since thou hast vsed others thy guests in like sort But yet you think that golde can redéem you from gréet Siluer from sorowe and déeds from Death no I tell you they are rather means to hasten your dispatch then to linger your delay For as Bion reporteth Arristippus a very wise Philosopher had a Seruant who was ouer charged with the waight and charge of his Maisters money therfore bidden by his maister to cast away the ouerplus and carry that which he might with his ease which doon Aristippus happening to be on the Sea with Pirats threw all his Golde and Siluer into the waues therof saying better it were that all this géere be throwne away by Aristippus then Aristippus by them meaning that the kéeping of the money might procure him a dismall day he béeing in the company of such falce and fained fréends Not much vnlike to this I finde as the worthy Poets record in their moste sacred Verses how Arion the exellent and cuning Musition who for to encrease his knowledge in forren contries and to augment his estate in gathering golde for sooke Lesbos his owne natiue soyle and Contry and sayling into Scicile remained there a season from thence he traueled into Italie where hauing got his wished desire of gaine and pretending to passe to Corinth being a Ship boord in moste safty as he thought with his owne contrie meÌ„ they vnderstanding what riches he had sought by all meanes priuily how to slay him but he perceiuing their intent desired of theÌ„ to take his golde and other treasures and saue his life which they would not agrée vnto but graunted him that he should throwe him self into the waues of the Sea hedlong and so stoppe his breth for that he should not bewray their mischeuous Act of Robbery wherfore with abundance of teares he requested the Marriners nay rather Théeues and Pirats for no other term can I better giue theÌ„ to grant him his lamentable Lute and eke his mourning Roab which béeing obtained he sung to his sollemn Lute a sory song and so amiddest the surging Sea did sée the face of Death yet being aliue But for all that he was deliuered by the help of a Dolphin fish who presently receiued him on her back and moste safely conuaied him a shore when he least looked for any such mater I remember that the renowned Poet Maro in his Eneidos of the destruction of the famous Citie of Troy writeth how the ancient and wise King Priamus fearing lest the mightie Gréekes should ouerthrowe and vtterly destroy all the regall blood and Issue there sent his yungest soÌ„ne Pollidorus to his cosen Pollimnestor being a King hauing a great some of Golde with him to minister vnto the Infant necessaries Polimnestor made much of Pollidorus so loÌ„g as his Father Priamus liued but he being dead the cruell Tirant for the gréedines of his golde slew him moste vnnaturally to his shame dishonor reproch and perpetuall infamie Wherin we may perceiue what little saue gard is in golden riches how vnstable fortune
pleasures ryfe such follyes fond and vaine Such breaking sléeps such tugging toyle such watchings and such wiles Such séeking one of others foyle such teares of Crocodiles Such laying traps for th' innocent such séeking of his blood Such subteltie when trueth is ment such ill such little good Such woorking woe to harmeles harts such cloking Vice and sinne Such playing of moste cruell partes such lustes our liues are in Such framing of swéet hunnyed talk such luring of the wicked wil Such going wrong that few right walke such sights the soule to spil Such ielious fits such frantick partes such anger all for nought Such close deseits in holow harts such secret mischéefs wrought Such facyng of fine forgid tales such swearing all for pence Such falshood bothe in waights and scales such sauing of expence Such little hospitallitie vsed such pinching of the poore Such forsing them to be abused such Vice doon euery ower Such haunting of vile Venus trulles such brawling for their cause Such cutting slashing knocking skulls such breaking of the lawes Such Auarice in euery man such Vsury out of measure Such tossing of Liaeus Can such spending of their treasure Such biting with malicious tunges such scoffing at the wise Such slothfulnes such open wronges such stormes doo still arise As when I think vpon this life which nothing is I say But only cares and mortall strife and smoke that flyes away Then happy ten times blest is he whose ruthful race is run And dooth enioy Felicitie when all his cares are doone Which mightie Ioue graunt vs I pray The true Felicitie That we may at our ending day Receiue his great glory And that likwise héer in this vale of sorowes and of mone We may enioy without ten faile heauens blisse when life is gon Our gratious Quéen Elizabeth doo kéep O Lord we pray In glorious pomp and after Death in ioyes that rest she may Amen Life is strife His prayse of Vertue Felicitie and Ientillytie To the curteous and gentle Reder THese simple lines which heer I written haue Declare the force of Vertues good effect Good Reader beare with rudenes mine I craue For here therby no man I wil detect Vprightly iudge and then I need not feare But thou with it in freendly sort wilt beare Iudge iustly In prayse of Vertue Vertue only bringeth Felicitie ALthough Apollos filed phrase and Pallas learned skill Within my brest took neuer place to féed my muse at wil. Yet I like Pan in rurall rithme for good wil that I beare Vnto the race of Gentlemen wil wright as shall appéer It is not Fame ne flattering force ne hoordes of heaped golde But onely Vertue forceth me this sentence to vnfolde Dame Vertue she that heauenly Quéen and Perragon of price Is only cause that silly soules to honor doo arise She bringeth true felicitie and Vice she dooth expell She teacheth how to feare the Lord and saue thy soule from hell I read a wise Philosopher which Aristotle hight In stately stile hath left her force apparant to our sight Saying that Vertue aptest is to those of youthfull race A pleasant thing to ancient men to Riche a goodly grace And to the poore she profit bringes aduauncing him ful hye For Vertue only is the cause of true Felicitie Vnnoble men she noble makes and glory is their hap Whose chaunce is such to take their ease in Vertues lulling lap A solace she to woful wights whome carking cares oppresse She bringes them perfect Pacience and makes their gréef séem lesse Who sowes the séeds of Vertue swéet shall reap eternall Fame And true Fame ouercommeth Death through Vertue this we gaine A Sage of Gréece was asked once what thing to man was best Euen Vertue answered he because in her consists great rest Without the which no good thing may once wrought or spoken be For she alone brings perfect blisse and true Felicitie Wise Solon tolde rich Craesus King it was not flowing welth Ne strength of men ne Tagus sands Ne Gallens mery helth Ne Lordships great ne honors hye ne Pleasures hunnyed bait That happy made his stiffing dayes his frail and brittle state But if he made a godly end and vertuously did dye He he it is that knowes the vse Of true Felicitie But now who vertue dooth frequent who séeks this virgin pure Euen men of basest Parents born whom Honors doo allure Minerua ioyn'd with Diligence makes many woorthy be Because that Vertue giues the light of true Felicitie The ancient race of Gentlemen haue wun theire Shéelds of Armes Through Vertue and through valiancie defending Prince from harmes But now a dayes some Gentlemen doo giue bothe speare and shéeld Although indéed they neuer came in any foughten féeld Nor yet by Counsail graue at home did profit Common welth But sought their owne vtillitie and eke their priuate helth Golde makes the Heraldes paint such foorth as liketh best their haps Yet Apes are Apes though golden Roabs oft times be on their backs True Gentlemen of worthy race through Armor Speare and Shéeld Haue woon their Armes by dint of swoord and push of Pikes in féeld But now alas I must lament that Gentlemen of Fame Let passe their ancient Gentery forgetting clean the same Some scrape vp goods by crafty meanes Some royatly all spend Some through excesse of pounsing pride are brought to balefull end By thousand meanes good Gentlemen are brought to dire decay The reason is that vertues loare in them dooth beare small sway Vpstarts contrarily attend on Vertues rayall traine From step to step from grace to grace til honors step they gaine T is better farre a mean man born in Vertue to exséed Then one who Vice dooth still frequent though Gentle man indéed For noblenesse begins in him and in the other dye Which dooth appéer that Vertue brings the true Felicitie Who now is the true Gentleman euen bée as Seneca said Whome Nature with Mineruas skill to Vertues lore hath made If any man to praise thou chaunce because he Gentle is His Parents and his Ancestors thou praysest them iwis It is not Parents progenie As Ouid dooth vs tell But Vertue maketh Gentlemen alone for to excell Wherfore to Gentle men I write your ancient bloods renew With Vertuous Artes and Gentlenesse bid filthy Vice adieu And as the names of Gentlemen deseruedly you haue So frame your liues that you may passe with Vertue hence to graue Let Iustice mixt with Mercyes méed And Wisdome be your guide Riches contemn and Pleasures hate from Faith doo neuer slide Pride Couetousnesse Ambition Vnreuerentnesse likewise Vaine glory Discord Enuy eke at any hand despise Be humble to inferiors and haue a lowly hart Then wil the common people say a Gentle man thou art Séek learnings déep Philosophie and peace doo thou ensue Hate ireful rage and tirannie and Backus blisse eschew So in the end this glorious Gem Dame Vertue will thée giue A Garland of Immortall Fame wherby thou aye mayst liue For after Death
our Vertues raines wherby we neuer dye But finde that she alone it is bringes true Felicitie Vertue winneth Woorship A pretty pamphlet of faithful Freendship THe truethlesse trust of fained fréends the wayward wily wayes The déep deceits of hollow harts which hap in these our dayes The silly soule so soone betraid the Poore man so opprest That scarce Rich Diues wil him giue a Crum to be refresht These things doo mooue my mestiue Muse of Fréendship to declare That it a Vertue is wherwith no Iewell may compare The Spring wherby our life is fed the Iewell of our ioye The very meane which helps the hart all sorowes to destroy In time of great prosperitie a pleasure to the minde A solace in Aduersitie a faithful Fréend we finde Fine Tullie termd a faithful fréend to be another I As who should say like to my self in euery propertie A faithfull fréend is such a one as makes thy sore his smart The pricking of thy finger eke the pearsing of his hart Thy misery his mestiue moue thy paine his present gréef Thy sorowe sower his hatefull hap thy helth his sole releef In doutful dangers thou shalt finde that he wil doo thée good And for thy sake not stint at all to spend bothe life and blood He sticketh fast at all assayes mischaunces him approoue To be of trustie Troylus kinde in fréendship and in looue It s he who absent seemes to be in presens euery houre Yea dead aliue and all this springs through this moste fragrant flower The very mean wherof dooth mooue the fearse Barbarians minde In myserye abooue all welth a faithful fréend we finde It is not flashing flames of fire his freendship may restrain Ne Midas muck no Irus gréef ne blisse ne pinching pain But like the purest Franckensence which yéeldeth foorth a smell â—ore swéeter in the flame then out experience this dooth tel â—r as the golden Glasse woorme shines moste brightest in the night â—e miserye tryes faithful fréend to be a trusty wight â—r not vnlike the redolent Rose of dulsed Dammask kinde Which swéeter is in stil then stalke as we by proofe doo finde â—â—thagoras did once pronounce that Fréendship looue doth binde â—nd in two bodyes fast conioyne an equallnesse of minde â—he Poet Empedocles said that all things firme did stand â—ea all the world and all therin vpholde by Fréendships hand â—â—gratitude neclecting looue and Fréendship put to flight â—his followes then an end of all life is dissolued quite â—ertue begets this Iuell rare and it conserues alwayes 〈◊〉 very fréendship Vertue is as Aristotle sayes 〈◊〉 such a League as neither time â—y péecemele may deuide Nor Fancies fond affects nor fraud infrindge at any tide A Fréend wil hazard life and lims yea goods yea welth and all Ere that hée see his fréend take harme in daunger dyre to fall Of Damons looue to Pithias example is lese to vs Of Nisus and Euriolus looue the Poet dooth discusse To Gysippus his fréend did prooue a trusty Titus true And Theseus to Pirotheus like fréendship did ensue Wise Sipio and Lelius in fréendship did excell And Palemon with Crates eke for fréendship bare the bell The looue of fréendly Lincius Iosephus writeth plaine Vnto his déere Artorius to their eternall fame And Ionathas sau'd Dauids life in sacred writ we finde So that no Iewell here on earth is like a fréendly minde It is not strength of mightie men that fréendship dooth obtaine â—â—e heaps of Golde but faithfulnesse and kindenes it dooth gain â—indenes annext with Gentle déeds true fréendship dooth enflame â—nd Loyall looues fidelitie dooth still increase the same The likelynesse of manners makes coniunction of the minde â—nd Vertue ioynd with honestie true fréendship firme dooth binde â—ike wil to like the Prouerb saith the Turtle looues her make â—nd mournes til death for want of féehr and all for fréendships sake But hot looue soone is could some say the sequell is too true â—nd faire woords makes fooles faine which alwayes dooth ensue The purest wine makes Vinagre to be of sharpest kinde â—nd déepest looue to deadliest hate is often chaungd we finde True triall prooueth trustinesse in trust is treason found Who climbs vpon a rotten bough may catch a fatall wound For in aduersitie we sée the flattering faithlesse féend To start a side and here vs make in misery our end As Swallowes comes in somer time when pleasures growe full gréen But when the winters rage comes on are no where to be séen So fained fréends when welth a bounds wil speak what we doo say But when as Fortune frownes on vs they quite doo flée away Then are they like the Bée which hath the hunnie swéet by kinde Within her mouth but yet she beares a smarting sting be hinde For as they erst with sugred woords did promise golden grapes So now their Tippets clene they turne and leaue vs in the brakes In fellowship lyes falshood hid and fraud in fréendly lookes And vnder swéet and hunnied baites doo lurke the harmful hookes An painted pots swéet poyson is wherby our bane dooth rise In cléerest streme the vgliest Tode in grasse the Serpent lyes The filthy rotten bones some time in curious graue we finde â—nd in a Iudas kisse there lyes a priuie galling minde Like Siren with her siluer songs whose notes doo oft allure The silly ship man to the sands his death for to procure Or as the Crocodile who yeelds a sory solemn sound Til she haue brought the wailing wight lye sprawling on the ground The Spider weaues a curious web the silly Flye to wile The woolfe dooth weare a smiling face the Lambe for to beguile The Panthers breth dooth swéetest smell when pray she dooth ensue I fréendly face meanes falsest faith experience is to true In fréendship all that séemes to shine it is not purest Golde Nor euery woord is Gospell sure which Friers haue vs tould 〈◊〉 Leaden Dagger oft is found with in a golden sheath And sure a flattering faithlesse fréend dooth bring vs present death â—n extrem néed when Fortune faites few fréends a man shall finde But then like to the Réed they shake with euery blast of winde In Prison if thou chaunce to lye when worldly welth dooth faile My Skin is néerer then my Shirt this suer wil be their tale Wherfore if I may Counsaile giue I wish thée to take héed Of him who beares a knife to kill yet weares a fréednly wéed Let no faire woords dim perfet sight but carefully beware Full swéetly dooth the Fouler sing to catch the Bird in snare Be sure whom as thou mindst to make to be thy faithful fréend Thou eat a peck of salt with him and thus I make an end No fraud to fained freendship ê™ Leonard Staueley ¶ The censure of a freend concerning the former Verses SIth freendships lore you doo commend accoumpting it a Ievvell rare And that so highly you extend such prayse as nothing may compare Vnto the same so much of price and trust me I like your deuice Indeed firm freendship novv a dayes is very geason I speke plaine For Sicophants deuise still vvayes falcely to flatter fleere and faine For deep dissembling novv dooth rest doutlesse almoste in euery brest But vvhat mean I to speake so blunt as to condemn in generall Although some faithlesse freends be vvunt to haue disembling at their call Yet some doo hap on such a freend as faithfull bides vntil the end Prayse after proofe Quoth Iames Yates â— Cor 2.9